The Catalyst
by sparkleofhope
Summary: And she survived because the fire inside her burned brighter than the fire around her. "Because only wind can magnify fire." / slight AU, picks up a few years after the war
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

 _"She wasn't always evil but she was wild and unprepared for the world. With no one to guide her justly and a crave for her father's approval and mother's affection, she easily became the fiercest among flames and that, was the start of her downfall."_

* * *

But what is sanity, really? Other than a mere word opposite of craziness. Who gets to decide when you cross the line? Who had the right to lebell her as a lunatic?

Azula knew the answer to that question and she wasn't pleased but her troath had long ago gone sore from yelling and she had long ago lost the will, the strength to fight for something that would never be achieved.

For once, she lost and her foolish older brother won. He had everything now and she remained with nothing but a wounded pride and her fire bending, which amazingly enough, wasn't taken by the Avatar.

That didn't mean that she was free to use it as she wanted, though. The chains around her wrists made sure of that. When they allowed her to bathe and change clothes, which was every day because enemy or not, somewhere deep down she knew Zuko, stupid, soft hearted Zuko still cared; or he at least felt enough pity for her that the luxury she grew-up with was as much a right now as it was before she got imprisoned, her chains would be slightly less painful but not enough.

Tying the laces of her blood red dress, the colour of her nation, she stood in front of the mirror, a habit now, more than anything else. Her vanity and aristocratic upbringing made sure she will never look anything less than perfect, under any circumstances, prisoner in the dungeons of her own palace or not.

Azula didn't bother to look away from her reflextion, proud as she was when the sound of knocking echoed in these four walls that she had grudgingly accepted as her room. Not a prison, not a cell because if she called it like that, then she had truly and completely lost the war.

At Zuko's compassionate demand, the room she had been living in since three years ago was comfortingly similar with her own chambers. Far smaller than the original but from the bed sheets made of silk to what she knew was her old wardrobe everything was the same so Azula could pretend, could live in this illusion where she was not just a mere pathetic shadow of her glorious past self.

She figured, that her stubborness and resolve of steel added to her pleasant surroundings were what kept her sane at the end of the day.

They were far more idiotic than she thought them to be if they believed that she was a basket case.

They would have been done for if that was the situation. You can't hope to have a civil talk with a crazy person, least you want to earn an early grave from that encounter.

"You may enter." she allowed after she managed to braid her hair in it's usual style.

When there was no servant or guard standing in the doorway, Azula didn't allow the shock to show on her face. She rearly had visitors but to have _him_ come from all people... She didn't know if she should laugh at the irony or glare at the one person who destroyed her life.

"To what do I owe the honour, Avatar? Oh, pardon my memory, you'd never come to me for chit chat, would you?" she questioned, attempting a light tone with her eyebrows raised in a mocking manner.

"You made sure of that long ago Azula." came his reply and she couldn't help but take notice of his voice. It sounded...tired, a far cry from the cheerful _annoyingly_ high pitched voice that she remembered.

"Yes, yes, I think both of us can agree that I'm the devil's spawn, if not the devil himself reincarnated..." she paused, amber eyes piercing him with a glare. "Say why you came here Avatar and stop waisting my time. You have finally decided to take the only thing that I have left, no?"

She was not going to beg him not to do it, she was not going to go as low and act as pitful as that even if the thought of the one thing that made her special being taken away was painful.

"I'm not going to take away your firebending."

Her mask of indifference must have cracked and the shock she felt must have showed, because the Avatar continued, unperturbed, as if he was talking about the weather. "I mean it, Azula. In these three years, you could have tried to escape or you could have choked a servant just for fun. You could have spent hours, days, months, forming a master plan to bring me down the second I walked into your chambers."

She decided that she didn't like the way his face was beginning to lighten up or the way he was looking at her, as if she wasn't a lost cause, as if, she wasnt's as evil as everybody thought.

He wasn't looking at her with pity, nor anger and not even hate but with caution and an emotion that she didn't want to identify.

"What makes you think that I'm not waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike?" she taunted, displeased with the fact that he was not afraid of her and no, she didn't think that he was good at acting. The Avatar was a childish fool and his eyes reflected his every emotion. Or at least, they used to because now she wasn't so sure. Maybe he _had_ learned how to lie and play the game.

 _Yeah, and Zuzu is going to give up the throne in my favour._ Azula chuckled, not being able to imagine the Avatar as anything but a child who recieved more power than he could master. Never mind the fact that he had grown in the meantime. His head was as much in the clouds as it had always been.

 _Must be an airbending trait._

"Hm, now that I think about it, I suppose you might be right. Just because I'm a pretty impatient person that doesn't mean everybody is going to attack head on." he mused out loud, eyes curiously looking around the room.

The fire princess rolled her eyes, getting more annoyed with his presence by the minute. "If you didn't come to take my bending away, then why are you here Avatar?"

 _To torture me with your stupid idle chatter?_

Her slightly irritated voice surprised him because up until the news spread out that she had fallen deep into madness, Aang wasn't able to imagine her as anything but calm and composed and even then, it was still hard for him to picture Azula as soomeone volatile and ruled by emotions, negative ones or not.

Truthfully, he had expected some insults and more yelling, some violent reactions but this could be almost classified as a civil conversation. Not for the first time, he couldn't help but wonder if the royal medics had lied about her condition out of sheer spite.

She didn't look crazy to him, angry and annoyed, sure but that was to be expected.

"I was thinking that it must have gotten boring for you around here, having nobody to talk to."

Azula couldn't help but huff in bewilderment. She knew the Avatar was stupid, she just didn't know his idiocy was that vast.

"I think spending so much time with that peasant girl is finally showing. You are an idiot on your own Avatar, you didn't need the extra help."

Not only was his suggestion stupid but it was beyond her understanding how could someone, him, no less, wilingly keep her company.

 _Could he be...drunk?_

Azula was far from being an idealistic shunned and protected from the world girl. She had spent enough time with soldiers and men from her father's council to know of alcohol and other vices and while she couldn't imagine him doing that sort of _"scandalous"_ thing, she wasn't going to cross out the possibility just yet. Men were men, after all; even if the man in question was more of a child in spirit than anyone she had ever met.

 _And there come the insults._ thought Aang, a bit disappointed before he went back to being his usual self. Azula will have to do better than that if she wanted to upset him.

"She has a name, you know. Katara, and for a peasant, as you said, she had defeated you in combat."

He knew he was playing with fire but taking risks was what got things done at the end of the day.

However, when he spotted the hate and shame in her amber eyes, Aang swore that never before had he felt more like a fool than he did in that moment. Guilt was a horrible feeling, one he had never expected to feel for an enemy.

Azula couldn't detect any sign of malice when he said the cursed words but that didn't slow down their impact. The last thing she wanted was to think about her lowest point in life.

Losing was not something that she took lightly and it was certainly not something that she could forget about. She vowed, one too many times that if she _ever_ escaped...well, let's just say that water tribe peasant better have her prayers done with when she came for her revenge.

"Get out of my sight." she said through gritted teeth, turning to face the window and let him look at her back. He didn't deserve her attention anymore. Actually, he never did to begin with so why had she stood and listened to his nonsense and foolish babbling?

Aang let his hands fall limp at his sides and sighed. "I didn't meant it in that way..."

She wasn't going to let him finish though. Someone who came into her chambers to further twist in a knife in old wounds, who made her remember what a _disgrace_ she was, didn't deserve the courtesy of explaining themselves.

"Do not test me Avatar. Leave, before I consider the million of ways that I could take you down without using my bending."

Her threats aside, Azula knew that he didn't leave because of fear that she could keep true to her word. It was something different, akin to respect. Something foreign that she hadn't recieved in a long time.

Neverthless, it didn't matter because now, more than ever, her old sense of ambition had returned and if the Fire Nation will be turned upside down, people will have the Avatar to thank for doing the opposite of restoring balance to the world.

Azula opened her wardrobe and touched the material of her most prized armour. She had always known, somewhere deep down that her reign will start with chaos. She just didn't know that the Avatar would be the catalyst of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, this is my first time writting Azula. Actually, this is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic. I hope I did some justice to her and Aang. I'm still debating if I should end this as a one shot.**


	2. Chapter 2

_"What are you doing?! I will have your heads for this this betrayal! Or rather, I should just give you the honour of being burnt by my flames."_

 _"No, Azula. You can't kill them!"_

 _"And why not? Did you hit your head, Zuzu? They were beating you!"_

 _"I don't hear you complaining when you do it."_

 _"Idiot. I'm your sister, only I'm allowed to do it and get away with it."_

 _"Only you?"_

 _"That's right. Only me. Anyone else will face my wrath if they dare."_

"Are you okay, Zuko?"

Aang's voice broke through his musings and he blinked, as if recovering from a dream.

In a way, the Fire Lord supposes that's what it was. A far fetched memory that sometimes he wasn't even sure if it had really happened or if it was just the result of his dumb imagination.

"Yes, I was just..."

"Spacing out?" his friend offered, a knowing look in his eyes.

Zuko bowed his head in slight emberassement.

"Yes, I apologize, Avatar."

Aang, who was no stranger to daydreaming and having his attention flee most of the time, shrugged. "I will accept your apology if you drop the formality. I barely hear my name these days. If it's not Avatar, it's saviour or hero or if the ladies happen to be really bold... _handsome."_

Zuko couldn't help but crack a smile at his former student's childish antics. He found some relief in Aang's company. Everything and everyone seemed to be changing lately and despite that, he still remained the same person that he taught firebending to. With a few adjustements, sure, but still the same.

"You are complaining? I almost miss the days when I was in exile. Sitting in the throne room, listening to everybody, searching for a solution to every problem...it's torture."

"Sure it is." Aang replied, faking looking unconvinced before a more serious look crossed his features. "I visited her, you know...a few days ago." Even though he was looking ahead, he saw the way Zuko froze but he kept going, because no matter what happened, his friend had to hear. Surely he hadn't been able to get his sister out of his heart completely, had he? "I'm still in one piece and with not a single burn mark on my body so don't give me that look."

Zuko took a deep breath to calm his nerves. The Avatar was strong, there was no doubt about that but so was Azula and also more dangerous because compared to Aang, she never allowed emotions to cloud her judgement.

"Just because she didn't try something that doesn't mean she has changed. You didn't see her when she was fighting Katara and I. As much as it pains me to admit it...my sister had lost her sanity, Aang."

"So she had a moment, don't we all? Anger comes and goes, Zuko. Eventually, we get tired."

"Fine, let's say she isn't crazy as the medics had told me but she is angry and she is vengaceful. You are waisting your time."

"I'm not saying that she doesn't hate me. She probably does and she has every right to. I'm not saying that she wouldn't have burned me if she had the chance...all I am saying is that she isn't a lunatic. Everything was taken away from her. I do know how that feels like." Aang said, clenching his fist against his heart. He lost all he had because of a single rash decision the day he ran from the Air Temples when the world needed him the most.

Zuko was quiet for a few moments. He could aknowledge the fact that he was right but that didn't mean he agreed. "If you didn't spend your time defending her attacks...what did you do then?"

"We talked." He knew that was a bit of a stretch but she didn't give him the silent treatment and there were questions and answers, so as far as he was aware of, that meant that they had a conversation.

"You meant to say that she insulted you and then kicked you out."

The Avatar deadpanned, a dark cloud looming above his head. "After she interrogated me, yeah."

"There, you have your conclusion."

"She is Azula..."

"You are Aang and I'm Zuko. Now that we established who we are, don't you think our names pretty much speak for ourselves? What are you hoping for anyways?" His patience was slowly but surely growing thin. What was in that mind of his?

"Nothing. I paid her a visit, I didn't commit a crime." Aang defended himself, shoving down the small pang of guilt that he felt for lying one of his friends.

The look Zuko gived him made it seem like visiting Azula was similar to doing that.

"She is dangerous, Aang. I know my sister better than any of you. I've grown up with her." he said with a sigh, turning his back away from the balcony. "Give up. Whatever kindness that she may have had at some point, was lost a long time ago."

 _We didn't give up on you._ Aang thought, watching him leave.

* * *

He tries convincing himself not to go but his body doesn't obey his commands and he wonders when had the elements started to _bend_ him instead of things being the other way around.

He can't remember and he doesn't have enough time to ponder the fact because a middle aged guard holds open the door and it's rude and unpolite to make people wait so he walks inside.

And the first thing to come out of his mouth when he sees Azula is "I'm sorry" because he has always been blunt and ruled by emotions and prone to say what's on his mind rather than say the right thing or what was expected of him.

She doesn't snap, she doesn't glare, she doesn't even blink. In the absence of any witty or sarcastic remark, Aang feels like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

 _Even after so much time had passed and she is still as intimidating as ever._

"For what? For growing a backbone? If anything, I was pleasantly surprised."

It's a lie, they both know it but it's just the way things are. The way things were decided a long time ago before they were born. Fate made it clear that they were to be opposites in every possible way. So when he spoke the truth which was all the time because the Avatar was nothing but a sincere fool...her duty was to repay that honesty with twice as many lies.

"Azula. I gived you a blow when you were already down. That's not strength, that's lack of honour."

She hated it, the way he was so willing to look past all the evil deeds everybody does and so eager to go out in the darkness to search for even the smallest sign of light. She couldn't decide if that's what it means to be optimistic or if it's just another branch of idiocy.

"Let me make one thing clear for you, Avatar. I'm not your average damsel in distress, I'm not that water tribe peasant or blind girl. Even when I lose, I still end up winning. If you have even a quarter of the wisdoom that people claim you have...you'd do well to stay away."

"And if I don't?" the question wasn't voiced the way most of them were full of curiosity but daring and the look he was giving her was a look Azula knew all too well. It was similar to thr she gived people when she challanged them.

 _Perhaps Avatar Roku is finally making his presence known._

"Telling would ruin the surprise." she replied simply, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Anyways, why did you come today?"

"I believe you asked me the same thing a few days ago."

Azula turned to face the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And how did I answer then?"

"You didn't." Aang answered with a scowl; his impatience was as much a thing as it had been three years ago but Azula was really testing it these days.

A sound of approval went past her lips. "Same treatment goes this time. You should thank me, really. I'm doing both of us a favour. You are aware of how much your judgement will be questioned if word gets out that you've been visiting me?"

Honestly Azula has not the slightest idea as to why she said what she said. His reputation, wellbeing were not her concern. In fact, his visits and people knowing of them would take her one step closer towards the throne.

"I think I'm failling to undserstand your point Azula." Aang was seriously confused. Sure, she was a war prisoner but it wouldn't be the first time he pays visits to those although if he thinks about it, she is the first that he had visited more than once...However, what's so wrong about that?

Azula spun around so quickly that he could have sworn a ghust of wind formed because of the speed. "What exactly did the monks teach you?"

Now he really was confused. What has that got to do with anything? Scratching the back of his neck, Aang took a moment to think before he answered. Whenever the air nomads were mentioned, a pang of guilt and pain would hit him and time, he had learned, didn't heal wounds. Just made them more bearable.

"My parents died when I was a baby so the monks were the only family I really had. They taught me airbending, mostly but they also showed me basic courtesy, manners and principles."

After a few seconds of silence, a strange but not unpleasant sound filled his ears before shock settled in.

 _Azula is laughing. Did I say something really that funny?_

"It's safe to say anatomy lessons weren't included...or?" she questioned, the ghost of an amused smile still creasing her features. She couldn't remember the last time that she had laughed.

When the meaning behind her words finally settled in, his cheeks were burning hot. "They didn't go into specifics...just told me that monks aren't supposed to, you know..."

Azula almost ended up laughing again before she remembered who she was and who she was talking with. But, the fire princess had to admit: it really was a priceless sight. the Avatar, believed to be the strongest person in the world knew pretty much nothing of sexual intercourse. "But you aren't a monk now, are you? Ask Zuko, I'm sure he wouldn't mind explaining things to you."

 _I would be killing two birds with one stone. Who would have thought that I could mess with Zuzu even in my current state?_

Maybe having the Avatar visit her wasn't going to be such a waste of time. After all, she didn't have many sources of entertaiment these days.

* * *

 **A/N: The characters may come off as OOC in this one. I'm sorry if that's the case.**


	3. Chapter 3

Although the Avatar has been almost daily visiting her for a while now, she was still surprised each time he showed-up.

After all, she knew she wasn't the kind of person you sit down and have a chat with. At best, she was tolerant. At worst...she was a nightmare come to existence. It was as much a fact as her royal blood. Nobody could deny or question it. Not that her heritage seemed to matter much these days...

When she was left to her own devices which was most of the time, Azula planned her revenge and rise to power. It was going to be a painfully slow process. However, she had nothing but time.

" _Patience is the key to all great schemes, daughter."_

Her father used to say; something that had been proven to be efficent. After all, Zuko gained the throne in the same manner: by _waiting_ and of course the Avatar also played a major role in hers and Lord Ozai's downfalls.

And right now? That was exactly what she was counting on.

 _"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."_

If she played her cards right she could manipulate that foolish Air Nomad in doing whatever she wished.

But even she, Azula, the proud Princess of the Fire Nation knew that was a _big_ if. Aang's naivety was unquestionable or rather his selfless desire to see the good in everybody was but unlike her, he was not alone. He had people around him that could prove themselves to be peebles that she will have to crush in order for her plan to prevail.

Truthfully, she didn't mind cutting a few heads and burning a few people if that secured her reign. Long gone were the days when the faces of the ones she killed haunted her.

 _At least, that's what she told herself and her enemies if they ever questioned her dark soul._

"Come take your food prisoner."

Azula's left eye twitched in irritation, both at having her thoughts interrupted and because of the manner she was being adressed with.

"Who do you think you are, servant?" she questioned, looking away from her prized armour to the man standing besides her door.

"Servant I may be, but you are just a filfthy traitor. Now eat." he grunted, kicking with his feet a plate full of rice noddles and cooked fish.

 _Nobody treats me like this and gets out alive._

She was used with the mocking and the whisperings by now but this was another level of insolance that she could not tolerate. However, the temporary portion they had sedated her with made sure she could not even breath fire, much less bend it to her will.

"I don't take orders from you, peasant. Bring me another plate since you ruined this one."

When the fool had kicked the plate, most of the food had fallen to the ground and she was not going to put dirt into her mouth.

"That's too bad. You should have come to get it when I told you to."

Azula had screamed after that piece of trash left. She had yelled and picked up things and threw them at the door. The guards stood at their post quiet and unyelding. Nobody answered. Nobody came with another plate. _Nobody cared if she starved or not._

 _The bastards are probably waiting for me to rot._

She thought bitterly as she fell asleep.

Aang had made a habit from visiting Azula. True, she was not the most pleasant company to have around, but it could have been worse.

 _A lot worse._

Besides, he was still strongly holding onto his beliefs. He had given Zuko a second chance, why not his sister? Redemption exists and he was going to prove that. He was going to help Azula, whether she wanted him to or not.

"Avatar, the prisoner had screamed all day yesterday and she had refused to eat. Don't waste your time on lost causes."

That was pretty much what he had heard all morning since entering in the aslyum part of the palace and he was getting tired. It seemed like something recited from a poetry book, not like a retelling of a real event.

"I will be the judge of that, m'am." he replied politely but firmly, letting the elderly woman know he was determinated to visit Azula whether they approved or not.

Once he entered, he was unpleasantly surprised to see the brunette on the ground, wearing the same clothes that he had seen her wear yesterday morning, hair wild and unkept, so _unlike_ her that Aang didn't know how to approach the matter.

Usually, whenever he came, she was looking and behaving as if the war had never taken place, as if she had won all along. This was a big difference from that picture that he had always had of her. It saddened him.

"What happened?" Aang had chosen to keep his distance but he kept his eyes glued on her still form.

Azula had woken up to the sound of the door being opened and she didn't have to look up to know who it was. Rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, it took actually hearing his usually annoying high-pitched voice now more quiet and mature in order for her to realize that the he had come and seen her like this.

 _Patethic, defeated, a mess._

"Nothing that concerns you, Avatar. You will have to excuse me for my poor state though, I did not expect any visitors." she spoke, throat dry from not having been drinking water but that was not going to stop her from being her usual self. She fell, she picked herself up. _Always._

It was that simple.

And yet complicated at the same time but people were never supposed to know that.

Aang watched her rise from the floor, as graceful as ever before walking behind a room divider made of wooden and decorated with golden dragons.

He knew firebenders were naturally bold but Azula rivaled all of them by undressing in front of him. Well, it was not exactly in front of him but it still made the blood in his veins rush to his cheeks. He turned his head, looking at a painting on the walls as he started humming to himself.

"If you want me to..." he had began, thinking that was the sensible way to go about things but she interrupted him with a scoff.

"I've been wanting you to get out of my chambers and stay _out_ ever since you decided I was getting bored. Ironic how the only time you willingly consider what I want is when I'm in a state that most men would kill to see."

Azula didn't know if she was supposed to be relieved that there was somebody who remembered how someone like her should be treated or offended.

"I did tell you I will continue to visit." he replied, ignoring her comments altogheter.

 _As if she doesn't make everything hard for me enough as it is._

"And I did tell you that you are being a childish fool." she retored, dressing with a new dress, still the colour of blood but with strings of golden embroided. _At least Zuzu doesn't disappoint when he commands for my dresses to be sew._

After that she approached the toilet, sitting down in front of the mirror and brushing her ebony dark hair. She did not want any maid to do it for her today.

"What happened, Azula?"

She didn't expect him to give-up asking or trying to make her talk with him but she didn't have the patience for his idiocy today.

"What did they tell you?"

"It doesn't matter. I came to hear what you have to say."

Azula couldn't help but scoff again, half amused and half surprised. "You are a bigger foul than I thought you to be. Don't you know? I am a liar. What makes you think I won't lie now?"

She pulled her hair up in a bun, looking at the Avatar through the mirror.

"The medics lied, said you are crazy. If they lack honour, who's to say the keepers of this place don't do the same thing out of spite?"

He had a point, not that she was about to admit that any time soon. Perhaps the Avatar was getting smarter.

"A low-life servant came, we argued, he kicked the food out of my plate and left. There. Now you can leave and move foward with your day Avatar." she answered in a neutral tone, dismissing him with a hand wave.

Oh, Aang did leave, but not before promising her that sort of thing was never going to happen again.

He held a speech, calling to the people's conscience and mercy but he did make one thing clear. All people deserve respect, including Azula.

"Her past actions don't change her status. She is still Fire Lord Zuko's sister, the princess of the Fire Nation but before that she is human, like all of us, and doesn't deserve such treatment. You don't prove yourselves to be better if you harm others. No matter what that someone did."

When two people came that day, bringing all of her meals and adressing her politely, kindly, Azula realized two things.

The Avatar had a big heart and that was going to be his downfall. Trusting her, helping her...he had it all wrong.

 _Monsters take advantage of that, Aang. Too bad the monks didn't teach you the art of manipulation and that monsters can be beautiful too._

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I hope you liked this chapter. I honestly think I wrote them wrong this time but I did it as I saw fit.**


	4. Chapter 4

Aang tried to remember a time when he had ever been cornered by his friends but couldn't. Probably because it had never happened before? Looking around him, he let out a deep sigh. Katara was arguing with Zuko, Sokka kept opening his mouth only to close it, he didn't think he had ever seen his face change colours so frequently. Suki was occasionally elbowing her boyfriend so he'd snap out of that state and Toph was...quiet, which was as frightening as it sounded. He had expected her to be the loudest but Katara had taken that role.

"How could you agree with him?!" Katara screamed.

"Why would you think I'd agree with something as **idiotic** as that?" Zuko retorted.

"We don't know Zuko, maybe because you are _the Fire Lord?"_ Sokka remarked, stating the obvious.

"What has that got to do with anything?" his former firebending teacher questioned, glaring at Sokka.

Afraid that Zuko might torch alive her beloved, Suki calmly interfered. "What Sokka was trying to say is that Azula was arrested under your jurisdiction."

Before Aang or Zuko for that matter could have said something to defend themselves, Toph butted in. "If Twinkle Toes wants to visit her and is crazy enough to do so, I don't see how that is any of our business or Sparky's fault, for that matter."

When Sokka cracked up at the word "see", the earthbender stomped her feet against the palace's marble floor, damaging it and sending him flying in the air. Feeling a pair of eyes practically burning a hole into her face, she snorted. "Glare any longer and your pretty floor won't survive my visit. There is plenty more where that had come from."

"Why you little—" Suki and Katara covered Zuko's mouth so whatever he would have said got to remain a mystery.

Toph glared right back at the young Fire Lord before throwing her hands up in the air. "Last time I'm taking your side Princess." she declared as she started walking towards the exist of the throne room before she stopped, turning to face them. "Aang is our friend. Instead of judging him for what might turn out to be his greatest mistake, we should support his decision and be there just in case we must save his 'wise behind.' "

"Thank y—HEY!" Aang cut himself off when the meaning behind her words finally settled in. What he didn't expect but was grateful for was that Toph's unique way of addressing things broke the tension that lingered in the air and made everyone laugh or at least chuckle.

Even if it didn't last for long.

"I still think it's a bad idea though." Katara said after a while, arms crossed over her chest.

"So do I." Sokka nodded vehemently, mirroring his sister.

"That makes the three of us then." Zuko said, forehead creased in a deep frown.

"Four actually." Suki added with an apologetic tone.

The airbender sweatdropped at his friends' antics. He loved them to bits but he hated the way they questioned his decisions as if he was still a child who didn't know how the world worked or who Azula was, for that matter. True, even though some years have passed that didn't change the fact that he was the youngest from their group but so was Toph and yet nobody said a thing whenever she made a choice, good or bad. Out of respect, indifference or fear, Aang wasn't sure. However, he couldn't hold a grudge against her, not when she was the only one defending him.

"You trusted me to stop Ozai and win the war. Now I want you to trust me that I know what I'm doing." he decided that there was nothing left to discuss about the matter. Besides, it was rare that they all got to meet these days so he'd rather spend his time having fun instead of arguing.

On that, they managed to agree on...eventually.

…

Azula is no longer surprised when the Avatar comes to check-up on her. Her twisted and sadistic sense of humour makes her wonder if he is patiently waiting for her to crack.

Too bad that she had always been prone to disappointing people.

She arches an eyebrow when the door opens and he walks inside, looking defeated, as if the war had been merely childsplay and the real struggles he endures are happening right now.

"Trouble in paradise?" she taunts him because she is who she is and twisting knives in wounds had always been her first impulse.

"Not today, Azula." he sounds as tired as he looks and she is annoyed because if anything, _she_ should look like a pile of rocks had just fallen over her, not him.

She tells him as much, regardless of his warning. His moral compass and Air Nomad principles would never let him act based on temporary anger and if he did, well, that would make things a little less boring. "If you are not going to be your cherry, talkative self, what's the point?" she pauses, approaching him slowly, arching a perfect brow. "I am certain you did not come because I am such a delightful company." she adds, the corners of her mouth lift and form a smirk.

Laughing at her own expense had been, more often than not, a way to cope with reality. Unlike most people, she took her flaws and flaunted them as qualities. Ursa believed she was a monster? Yes, she was, a damn good looking one too. Zuko called her a liar? Lying was just one more skill stocked in her arsenal. People trembled at the mention of her name? Fear lasted longer than love did anyways.

No matter how she put things, there was always one common factor: _she won,_ _ **always.**_

As if reminding her of the current circumstances, Azula noticed the Avatar's eyes glued to her hands. She looked down at them, dainty, deadly hands that could manipulate the hottest of fires, now, handcuffed.

 _Zuzu won for once in his life._

She thought, half annoyed and half in a fond manner. They could say what they wanted, but tormenting him had just been her way of showing affection. She realized all too soon what their father wanted from them. Perfect bending, perfect posture, cold behaviour, ruthless when killing or rather, having the ability to do so. She merely tried to shove her brother in the right direction.

 _There was no place for weakness._

It was him who didn't want, who couldn't understand and Azula was not going to put any more effort in a lost cause.

 _Former lost cause. Now he is sitting where father used to sit._

She corrected herself, feeling bitter resentment gather in her chest.

"I suppose you are right."

Aang's voice cut through her musings, suddenly livelier than earlier. The foolish Air Nomad was grinning even, as if he gained something that she couldn't see.

It was beyond her understanding how one could can switch between emotions at such great speed. Not that she desired to know, least something like that is contagious.

"Then humour me. Talk my ears off."

Surprise at her words and attitude showed clearly on his face. "You aren't usually like this, Azula." he tells her, suddenly more cautious than glad.

She scoffs, rolling her eyes before placing a hand on her hip. "I don't have any evil master plan in mind for you, if that's what you are wondering."

When he maintains the look on his face, she decides to be honest for once. "Not today, at the very least."

"If I do things right, you will have to change today with 'never'."

 _Now I'm intrigued._

Azula presses her lips together, raising one of her eyebrows. "Is that so, Avatar? My, confident are we today." she mocks him a little bit before her eyes turn two shades darker. "I will spare you the trouble. I live by my own rules. Revenge, taking back what's rightfully mine? Are a must. Save your optimism for someone who hadn't tried to murder you and your little friends more than once."

It amused her, how he could believe that she will change one day, change the very things that make her Azula. She watches as slowly the bright flame in his eyes gets reduced to dust. It's quite the interesting process and it's clear that she had succeeded to break his resolve, lower his faith.

 _He should be thankful. I don't usually plan my next moves out loud._

"You will rot in here, old and alone. As long as I am around, your plans will always fail." Aang warns her, sounding more dangerous than how he looks.

Azula smirks.

"How wrong and blind you are. Didn't the monks teach you that only wind can magnify fire?"

He storms out of her chambers and she is left to wonder if she had really done it, convinced him that monsters were monsters.

And she was the fiercest of them all.

 **A/N: Haven't updated in quite some time, I apologize for that. I just did not find the inspiration to write and I'm not sure how well I've done with this chapter, but anyways, here it is.**


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks pass before Azula sees anybody else other than her servants. She would never admit it out loud but after getting used with the Avatar's annoying chatter...the silence started to bother her. It was deafening. The absence of sound was as loud as the presence of it. Something was missing but she supposed that it wouldn't be the first time.

 _I've lasted three years with just myself as company. I can endure a little more until I add the finishing touches to my plan._

That's what she firmly told herself and when the door to her chambers opened to reveal a familiar face but a sight she hadn't seen in a very long time nevertheless, Azula had to mask her temporary sadistic joy at finally being presented with someone to toy with.

It was just a fortunate turn of events that someone happened to be her favourite pawn to torment.

 _Father always said I was born lucky and Zuko was lucky to be born._

She mused before gracefully raising from the table she ate her meals at, to properly greet her the young Fire Lord. "Brother, what a pleasant surprise. You honour me, truly." she said, in a mock sweet voice, that dripped venom.

It couldn't be helped. He had taken what was _hers_ and sharing had never been her strong suit.

Azula had her keen eyes on him now, analysing. He was taller than her by a few inches, not that it mattered, she'd still win in the intimidating department, the disgraceful scar over his eye was still present, no matter how much she knew Zuko woke up every day, wishing it wasn't. Despite having his honour restored, he didn't let his hair grow as custom deemed it. Whether out of rebellion or some personal insecurities, she couldn't tell.

That was another thing that had changed in the time they haven't seen each other. He was more composed, tempered, with eyes less burning.

 _Such a pity though. That fire, matching my own, had always been something I respected._

"Azula, spare me the mocking pleasantries." he retorted, not trying to hide the obvious dislike.

It was clear as crystal to her then that whatever pushed him into coming, it was not the desire to see his only remaining family member. No matter, she had never been one for lovey-dovey reunions and emotional conversations anyways.

 _Let's skip to the business part, Zuzu._

Arching a perfect brow, she gestured with a hand towards the set of chairs. Her aristocratic upbringing made sure she could never completely forget her manners. Zuko was the Fire Lord and had to be treated as such, no matter how much she despised that fact. "Very well. Since I am certain you did not come to laugh at my expense..." she trailed off, knowing the kindness he inherited from their mother would never let him, she called a servant who rushed to pour wine in their cups.

Noticing Zuko's reluctant weary glance at the red liquor, Azula chuckled darkly. "You don't trust your own people?" she questioned before rolling her eyes, picking up his glass and taking a small sip. She placed it back under his clueless nose. "Talk. I have more important things to do."

It was his turn to chuckle now, full of sarcasm and bitter resentment. "Like plotting my demise?" he asked, taking the offered wine, mirroring her and taking a sip.

She gave an innocent shrug, something she hadn't done since she was a child and Zuko was too young and naive to know better than trust her. "My sincere apologizes but you will have to wait Zuzu. The Avatar shall come first. After all, you and I both know _he_ is the _only_ reason I am down here and you up there on father's throne."

The glare he sent her was an improvement from what she remembered but not enough, never enough to make her be anything other than dimly amused.

"If memory serves me well and I think it does, father was defeated by Aang, true. However, it was Katara and I who..."

Azula cut him off with a laugh, giving him an incredulous look. "Don't tell me you have forgotten so quickly about Mai's affections." upon noticing his jaw clench, she smirked knowingly, leaning into her seat. "Let me guess. The peasant doesn't give you the time of the day. All she can see is the Avatar. That must sting." she spoke with false sympathy.

It wasn't that she didn't care about Zuko's pain. True, one part of her strongly believed he deserved to feel at least half of what she was feeling being locked down here however, that didn't mean she didn't feel for him, even if just a little. Either way, the universe agreed with her on this one. That water tribe girl was in no way fit to be the next Fire Lady. Hopefully, her brother will see that and move on fast enough.

"I didn't come here to discuss my love life Azula. There are more important matters." Zuko said through gritted teeth. No surprise there, she knew the calm, composed upfront was just that, a facade, a mask for his court. He could never truly last in her presence without having his temper flaring.

"Such as?" she questioned with an air of disinterest, sipping at her wine.

"Finding the Dragon Sword."

She paused, taking the glass away from her lips and putting it down. The brunette couldn't help but give him a confused look. "Why do you even need that old piece of garbage?"

As glorious as the name sounded, the legend behind was just a story invented by the first firebenders. The common people and even the nobles strongly believed in it. The royal family was a different case, however. It was their ancestors who invented it thus Zuko must have known the sword was nothing extraordinary nor was it forged from dragon breath as everybody thought.

He looked at her, as if he was considering whether he should share that piece of information with her or not. Eventually, he blew a sigh. "People are getting restless. They have managed to overlook the fact that I don't parade with the sword around but Shao Fang pointed it out and..."

Azula didn't have to hear more to understand his predicament. "And now they demand to see the sword in the Fire Lord's hand, where it should be." she finished his sentence before quirking a brow, feigning ignorance. "What do you propose I do about it?"

"Tell me where I can find the sword."

"Even if I wanted to tell you, I don't know where it is. Father never shared that with me." Now when she thought about it, it was odd. He told her all there was to know about the Fire Nation but he had always left out that. At that time, Azula thought nothing of it, but now the antique metal was beginning to look important.

"Then find out." Zuko insisted, voice harsh and demanding.

 _Silly him, does he really think I'm willingly going to help him keep the throne?_

"Get rid of Shao. He is a fool but a threat nonetheless." she advised grimly, finishing her glass. Blood relative or not, Zuko was still her enemy. She wasn't going to do more than offer some counsel.

 _Take it or leave it, brother._

"Go figures the only way you know how to solve problems is by killing people!"

Azula meet his eyes, unfazed by the sudden outburst. It disgusted her how he was beginning to sound like _them._ "Killing is a permanent fix to a problem. It leaves no room for doubts. Any other Fire Lord, less compassionate than you, would have also ended me and father a long time ago."

 _Your mistake that you hadn't ordered the execution and it will be your downfall when I get out._

Zuko's eyes softened for a split second before they hardened once more. "You are my sister." he said in a resolute voice.

 _And you are a sentimental fool._

Azula rolled her eyes but continued conversationally. "I never said you have to cut his head off but punishment is due. If you don't keep them in line, they will question you and a powerful ruler is obeyed and respected, not doubted or mocked. Strip him off his position, hold a speech about his greatness and how much he helped. Thank him for being such a good little servant, then order his retirement because of old age."

The look he gave her next, _gratefulness,_ pulled a little at her heart strings. Zuko hadn't looked up to her since they were children but he had always asked for her advice.

And she had always lent it, no questions asked.

"That I can do but the matter with the sword remains. Reducing Shao to silence isn't going to change people's desire to see it." he paused, determinated to persuade her. "What do you want?"

Azula smirked.

"Other than my throne." he added, a little annoyed.

"Nothing that you can offer." she retorted, sparing him an indifferent, bored glance, as if what she desired was above Zuko's power.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, seeming offended that she thought so little of what he could do.

 _You always took the bait far too easily, brother._

Azula twirled the empty glass in her hand, toying with it. "What you heard. It is not like you could force the Avatar to drop by again."

She was positive that she had never seen Zuko look as shocked or as confused in his life before. It was amusing. After opening and closing his mouth for a couple of times, he closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "You can't be serious. Aang isn't your personal source of entertainment Azula! He went through enough already."

"You wound me Zuko. Do you really believe I'd harm him in any way?" it was a rhetorical question and they both knew the answer.

"No, I won't do it."

She nodded in acceptance, replying simply. "Neither will I."

Clenching his fists in frustration, Zuko was one step close to growl...or launch his glass at her face, whatever fit his honour best but none of those options would so he settled to glare at her, putting behind it intensity and dare she say it, hate even.

 _Now that's more like it._

"Fine. You will have your way. I will try to convince the Avatar to come tomorrow but whether he continues to do so after that...it's up to you." he said, standing up from his seat, prepared to get out of Azula's chambers and stay out for another few years or so when he saw the look in her eyes.  
Why would he think that was enough to satisfy her, he will never know. "What else?"

"The Avatar gets to meet me outside this room. The palace's garden has always been lovely this time of the year. Spring has arrived, had it not?" she questioned in a pleasant manner, faking the picture of a sweet docile princess.

Zuko couldn't believe his years. To think that she would go as far as to negotiate being released from her imprisonment. Even if it was going to be for no more than an hour, a lot could happen during that time.

 _Azula never does things without a good reason and every move she makes is a carefully planned one._

Nobody knew that better than him.

"Be reasonable! You are a war prisoner, a disgraced royal." he exclaimed, as if that would make her drop her second condition.

Azula returned his words with a glare, not one to like being reminded of past failures and current circumstances. "And you are the unexperienced Fire Lord, seeking help from this _war prisoner._ "

The two stared at each other.

"Tonight, a servant will escort you to father's cell."

"And?"

"I was supposed to talk to the Avatar either way."

Zuko stormed out of her room, to make peace with himself after striking a deal with a monster like her. Azula gestured with her hand. More wine was poured.

 _I suggest, you protest, then obey._

 _I win._

 _Just like old times, Zuzu._

 **A/N: The positive feedback I've received made me come up quickly with another chapter. I know Aang doesn't appear in this one but it was for a reason. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I surely enjoyed writing it. Thank you for not forgetting about this story.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

If Zuko had gone out of his way to make sure she was to live in luxury, just as she used to before the war happened, before she became a prisoner in her own home, Azula couldn't say the same thing about her father. Her hands touched the cold walls. They felt as rough as they looked. The light was dim down there and she didn't want to think about the rats that must wander around.

To put it simply, it was clearly a cell.

It was obvious that Zuko cared more about her than about Ozai and she couldn't blame him for once. Time spent away from most people and the outside world made her realize some things, one of them being that she had been a fool. Not that her pride was going to let her admit that any time soon. She had been in denial for a long time. It said a lot about the height of the pedestal she had once upon a time thought her father deserved.

 _But for now, I must play my role and act like the daughter he knows me as._

One of the Kyoshi warriors besides her signalled to the guards to open the cell. She couldn't help but smirk at that. To think Zuko feared her strength enough to call for the best fighters...it pleased her and amused her all at once.

 _He is starting to become wearier of me._

Which meant he was on his way to changing into a good Fire Lord with a rational brain. It was a long way though.

 _In the meantime, I can use his naivety and inexperience to get back where I belong._

Azula walked inside as she always did. Chin up, back straight, composed, graceful. For a split second, she wondered if had been instinct. After all, everything she knew...she had learned it from _him._

However, upon entering, she was starting to feel as though this whole ordeal was a set-up of some sorts, a trickery, an illusion even.

 _Perhaps the servants finally had the guts to drop poison in my wine._

She mused before quickly dismissing such thought. Even at her lowest, people still feared her and she didn't think Zuko would appreciate having his only chance at securing his position snatched away from him.

"Azula...?"

The uncertain voice brought her back to the present, to what she had thought was a mirage.

 _This man isn't father._

It was a shell, just a shell of the once powerful and intimidating Lord Ozai. Prison did a number on him. He looked his age right then, and not like the fierce commander she used to know him as.

She wondered in that moment if Zuko was satisfied with himself before shaking her head. He wasn't worth any of their pity.

"Father." and yet, she still couldn't address him as anything but that.

 _Pathetic._

The fire princess tried telling herself it was only because she was putting on an act and not because of any remaining positive feelings. It'd be a disaster if that were the case because even dirty, down on his knees, the look in Ozai's eyes was recognisable. Not to the others but to her?

Painfully so. It was the look she saw every day she glanced in the mirror, another reminder that nor time, nor circumstances could change the fact that blood still bound them.

That look screamed hidden fire, the most dangerous fire there was. It promised pain, chaos, revenge. _If cannot bend heaven, I will raise hell. I will wear a crown, whether it's made of light or darkness._

The Avatar might have taken away his bending but he didn't succeed to stuff out that fire. Her father must have been plotting all these years, just like she had, wearing a mask to fool others; resembling a wolf among lambs.

But he couldn't fool her.

And her eyes must have made that clear because Ozai inclined his head in the way he often did to show praise.

"I see my disgrace of a son has been treating you well."

There wasn't relief, only envy but for both of their sakes, Azula chose to pretend that the former was present.

"You know Zuko, always the sentimental, always the fool."

If it dawned on them that _the fool_ was the one in charge now, the one being Fire Lord, they did not show it. Doing that would mean to admit defeat and that was just unacceptable.

"Not so much apparently if he couldn't give his own father the conditions he deserves."

There wasn't any drop of humbleness in that body of his, Azula concluded and it didn't surprise her but to have the audacity to say that?

 _He gave you more than you deserve. Life._

Any other person would have executed them both, showing little to no emotion.

"I have come to ask you something."

Under normal circumstances, she would have kept up the farce for longer, subtly too but that was before. Now she just wanted an answer to give Zuko. A little gift, for all the trouble she had given him in the past. That and staying much longer in her father's presence without losing her composure would be a tedious task.

"Ask away Azula." She knew the lack of agreement from her part regarding what he said must have irked him.

Too bad that she was the heartless monster he had so hard struggled to create. Caring for anybody else other than herself was a foreign concept and that included him. However, everything was a game and she had to play it perfectly. One slip from her part and it would be ruined. Ozai wasn't an idiot but she had always been the better liar.

"You must know that I don't intend to let Zuko cherish the power he currently wields for much longer. Granted our current circumstances, I have come up with a ploy to undermine him."

The smirk creasing her father's face made her sick to the stomach. She knew that look very well. He was waiting to reap what he had sewn.

 _Or what he thought he had, anyway._

"As expected of my daughter. Tell me how you plan to get revenge on him and the Avatar and to size the fire throne for me."

Azula fought the urge to laugh. It amused her greatly how he didn't suspect any change in her loyalty.

 _If I decide to undermine Zuzu, it will be for_ _ **my**_ _benefit._

Never his.

Never again.

"I need to know where the Dragon Sword is, father. It's the key to my plan."

Ozai watched her silently for a few moments but whether he was thinking if she could be trusted or how wonderful it would feel to have his power restored, she couldn't be too sure.

"I see. So, they haven't found it yet and the common people must be causing a ruckus. I suspected this was about to happen eventually."

"Exactly as you predicted father."

It hurt her, to act like the obedient weapon, like the tool he had crafted. She had wanted her parents to love her but it seemed that she failed twice in that aspect.

 _At least Zuko won once._

That was just one more reason to feel bitter and angry. Ursa looked at her and saw a monster. Ozai liked what he saw, but only as a means to an end until she stopped being useful.

He had proven that to her years ago.

"The location of the Dragon Sword is known only by those who show remarkable strength and will. If Zuko isn't aware of where it is, that proves something we already know: that he does not deserve to be Fire Lord."

Azula almost gritted her teeth. _Almost._ She had to have the patience of a saint, even when she was anything but. "Yes, as we already know." she intoned.

"Plan my escape, daughter. You do not need the Dragon Sword to undermine Zuko."

She should have expected caution from his part. However, this wasn't the end to her scheme. What he told her? It was more than enough.

"Were _you_ immediately aware, of where it was?" she questioned, pretending to be impressed and fascinated. The 'immediately' was only put there though so it did not sound as if she doubted him.

There was a pause. A slight flick of anger in his eyes.

The one she always had whenever past failures were brought up. That was all the proof she needed to know her father was not as great as she had once firmly believed or as he liked to fool others that he was.

 _Grandfather must have told him where it was or maybe the sword had shown itself to uncle._

Then she decided that if Iroh knew, Zuko would have never been caught in such a mess in the first place.

"Not immediately but soon enough."

Azula inwardly smirked.

 _Careful Ozai, you are lying...and it shows._

"As expected of the rightful Fire Lord." she expressed, knowing her words were music to his ears.

"What is your plan Azula?"

 _Wouldn't you like to know?_

The fire princess gave him a cold stare. "A secret for a secret. I thought you of all people would know that, besides, this is child splay compared to conquering Ba Sing Se."

Gone were Ozai's iron nerves. He gritted his teeth, going as far as to punch the wall besides her. Blood dropped on the ground from his fists but it didn't faze either of them in the slightest. "There can't be any flaws in it otherwise we will be ruined."

Some part of her thought that they already were but compared to him, she wasn't going to stay at the bottom for much longer.

"We won't."

 _Or rather,_ _ **I**_ _won't._

She thought, signalling for the guards to open the cell. It was clear she wasn't going to get anything else from Ozai. The man was weary of her, paranoid even, as he should be.

"AZULA! YOU WILL OBEY ME!" the former leader of the Fire Nation roared with all the pent-up anger and frustration, his hand, firmly handcuffed, going through the motions of fire bending...that he no longer had courtesy of the Avatar.

It struck her with a sudden jolt that he would have left her face marred by a scar like the one her brother had...if he could.

"I HOPE YOU ROT IN HERE!" she screamed, not walking out of the cell yet even as the guards and Kyoshi warriors were telling her to do so. She was not afraid of him.

There was nothing in the world she feared that shouldn't fear her a thousand times more.

"No, allow me to rephrase that. I will personally make sure you that you do. Whether Zuzu remains Fire Lord or I take the title for myself, YOU, will never sit on that throne again and that is a promise." Her perfect mask was back into place, compared to his shattered one.

Ozai roared again, struggling against the chains binding him...

 _just like a mouse caught in a trap_

 _small and below me._

"DISGRACEFUL CHILDREN!"

She couldn't deny that but not for the reasons he thought.

"You are right. We all are. That is why the Dragon Sword didn't show itself to any of us."

This gave her an idea. It was a merely a hunch but she was willing to follow it through.

"Do not give him food for tonight." she ordered as she exited the prison, passing by the guards.

"We do not take orders from you!" one of them had the bravery (idiocy _really)_ to talk back.

She fought the urge to throttle him, merely replaying with a:

"My brother will agree. Ask him."

...

"She is blackmailing you."

Zuko suddenly felt much older than his current age. If Aang knew what blackmail meant...it was clear, they were all past the time for games and childhood.

"It's called a bargain, Aang." he sighed tiredly.

The Avatar wasn't convinced, however. "Blackmail under the disguise of bargain, you mean."

 _He has really gotten smarter._

Zuko mused, half of him proud and the other concerned for any of his remaining enemies.

"She is Azula." he said, as if that explained everything and maybe once upon a time when the world was somehow normal, up was up, he didn't shoulder so many responsibilities and there wasn't any doubt whether Azula was an A-Class monster with no grey in-between...it did.

"And you are the Fire Lord. You can find the sword on your own Zuko. I strongly believe that."

Zuko wished he did too but unfortunately, he was past the time of playing seeker. Now he was just desperate. As much as he had denied it in the beginning, facts were facts and the truth was the truth. Azula would have made a better leader. Not a kind one, but one made of steel and icy fire.

She knew how things worked much better than he ever will.

"That's the only thing I've been doing this past month Aang. I am sick of searching. Azula is my last hope because if a rebellion starts..."

"I will talk them out of it." Aang stated determined, always optimistic, a people's person through and through.

 _Maybe we aren't that old after all._

His friend was as idealistic as ever.

"Then you'd be going against the one thing you fought for: democracy. If the people don't consider me fit to lead them...they should be allowed the freedom of choosing."

The Avatar remained silent for a moment.

"I have to walk with her through the imperial garden? That's all?"

Zuko nodded grimly, finishing a glass of wine. "That's all."

A servant rushing inside the room immediately drew their attention. "Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko..." he mumbled, bowing quickly.

"Had my sister managed to escape?" he asked, already feeling a headache coming.

"No, gods no! May we never know such horror." the elderly man gushed, talking under his beard.

"Then what is it?" he questioned, much calmer now.

"Lord Ozai...threw a tantrum. He would have attacked Princess Azula if it weren't for the chains binding him or if he still had his bending."

To say that Zuko felt shocked would be the understatement of the century. " _Father yelled at her? Attacked her even, out of impulse?"_

Aang was quicker to react, however. "How is the princess doing now?"

"She didn't shy away from talking back to Lord Ozai either and made an interesting promise."

"I asked _**how**_ she is, not what she said." the last Air Nomad repeated himself with barely contained impatience. Azula was strong, stronger than most but that didn't change the fact she was human.

Zuko, shocked even more by the mere idea that his sister who used to idolize their father fought back, urged the servant to keep going. "What did she promise?"

"She, weirdly enough, seemed to be on your side, Fire Lord Zuko. She swore to make sure Lord Ozai will remain in prison for the rest of his life." the servant himself seemed fascinated and confused by what he was saying.

"Did she find out what I wanted her to?"

"That's what she sent me for. Well that, and a request not to bring your father any supper for the evening."

Zuko didn't feel any remorse when he ordered: "Make sure he doesn't eat for a week."

For all her faults, Azula was still his sister who never turned her back on him. Always aware of his presence, if only to offer an insult or make a biting remark. She had also helped him more times than he cared to count, even when he didn't ask her to.

"Will do." the man paused, shifting his attention towards Aang. "Princess Azula said Lord Ozai refused to give her a straight answer. However, she believes she could find the sword, but only if you aid her, Avatar Aang."

 _Could this be a ploy?_ Zuko had to wonder but before he could have made up his mind, his friend had already decided for him.

"Lead the way then."

...

"Okay Princess, I'm here now." Toph paused, marching inside the throne room as if it was hers to begin with and he was the guest. She stopped, making a show of looking around, _as if she could actually see something..._ "Why the fuck am I here though?"

Zuko visibly grimaced. He was a guy and they were all adults now but hearing Toph swear never ceased to shock him. Especially whenever she did it in sacred places.

 _Does she have no shame at all?_

He couldn't help but wonder although he was sure the answer to that was pretty obvious.

"Look, I'm sorry for sending Zen to fetch you at this hour..."

A scoff interrupted him. Rudely so.  
"You are lucky I took my time robbing your prissy-winny fire benders off their money otherwise he wouldn't have reached me before I left."

Zuko swore one of his veins was going to pop one of these days. "You can't go around robbing..."

"Not my fault if I do a hell of a fantastic job and win every time!"

 _Patience. Have some more. Remember what uncle taught you._

"Then it's not called robbing!"

The smirk she flashed him next was infuriating at best and made him want to strangle her at worst. "I never said I played fairly."

Sensing that the young Fire Lord was very close to tearing at his own hair _and what a pity would that be for Sugar Queen, Mai and whoever drools over him,_ Toph decided to be more sensible. "Fine, fine. I'm serious now. Why did you sent for me anyway other than to ensure your hair turns grey much earlier?"

"I needed Azula to help me..." he began, a little unsure.

"Uh-uh"

"And we made a deal." he paused again.

"Aha..."

"And then things got a little more complicated..."

By this point, Toph was tired of pauses and hesitation. One more pause and she will be beating the information out of him!

"For fuck's sake Zuko, get on with it already! I don't have time to waste! I won't be able to reach the Earth Kingdom tonight if..."

This time he was the one to interrupt her.

"You already have a room prepared here."

Toph paused mumbling to herself at the mention of that, considering it for a few moments. "You better feed me lots in the morning."

Zuko couldn't help himself, cracking a small smile. "Don't I always?"

"Yeah Sparky, you are a generous host. Now get on with it."

He scowled but proceeded to tell her everything that happened.

"No, you know what? Forget it. I'm not going to eavesdrop on them. It's not right." the earth bender refused vehemently, already heading towards the door to get out.

"Now you find your morals Toph, seriously?" Zuko called after her, beyond frustrated, doing his best at dodging the cracks she was currently busy making in his floor on her way out.

"Why me though? Why don't _you_ do it? Or put a servant or something?"

Proof that she was having second thoughts about her quick decision was the fact that she let him catch up with her.

"Because you can sense when somebody is lying."

"Azula..."

Zuko firmly cut her off, taking her hand and giving a relatively hard squeeze, whether to assure her or prevent her from storming off, he didn't know. "Is the best liar I've ever met. True, she had managed to trick your senses once in the past but it's been years, Toph. Years she spent in prison, while you were out there, building a school to teach people metal bending from scratch, training day and night."

She still wasn't convinced, however.

"That doesn't mean..."

"Try and then tell me you couldn't. Otherwise you would have failed twice. As far as I can remember, the Toph I met years ago, who vouched for my goodness and change of heart wasn't a quitter."

She could count on one hand how many times she had gotten speechless.

"Alright, I will do it but just so you know, flattering isn't what got me to accept."

He rose an eyebrow.

"The food you have here, Zuko. That's your only charm." Toph paused, patting his chest roughly and using her bending to fix what could be fixable about the floor with her talent alone and not a team of builders.

"Right. Your blush tells me something differe— OW"

"Don't push it." 


End file.
